This post is sponsored by Ocean Spray®. All recipes, opinions, and photography (unless otherwise noted) remain my own. I’m excited to share my Cranberry Ginger Finger Gelatin recipe and a bit about the Ocean Spray® Cranberry Classroom experience my youngest son and I enjoyed.
Over the years of food blogging I’ve had the pleasure of working with many wonderful companies, and Ocean Spray is one of my favourites. I’ve always loved cranberries—in juice, sauce, chutney, baked into quick breads and scones, and even in ketchup (see Not Your Mama’s Canning Book for that one). When Ocean Spray invited my 10-year-old son and me to visit their Cranberry Classroom setup at Rockefeller Center® in New York City, we jumped at the chance.
What impressed me most about Ocean Spray is that it’s a cooperative made up of hundreds of families who grow cranberries across North America and Chile. These growers are passionate about the land and their crop, often passing knowledge down through generations. I’ve met multiple generations of cranberry farmers through Ocean Spray—some with deep family histories in the business—and their commitment and knowledge are inspiring.
At Rockefeller Center® the Cranberry Classroom featured four hands-on education stations. The first covered cranberry history. Cranberries have been around for millennia, were part of the earliest Thanksgiving meals, and were valued by sailors as a source of vitamin C to prevent scurvy. Americans consume roughly 400 million pounds of cranberries annually, with significant spikes around the holidays.
The second station was fully interactive. Rowan built his own small bog and learned what conditions make the best cranberry bogs. He proudly carried that little project home on the plane to show his brothers.
The third station offered a virtual 360° tour of an Ocean Spray cranberry bog in British Columbia. Rowan was captivated, exploring the bog for minutes at a time.
The final station was Rowan’s favorite. He donned waders and walked through a mock flooded bog, learning how farmers “herd” cranberries toward collection points and enjoying the simple delight of splashing through the water and tossing cranberries into the air. He would have stayed for hours if the schedule had allowed. Later that evening he happily capped the day with a cranberry juice nightcap at our hotel.
Because I love Ocean Spray and adore cranberries beyond holiday meals, I’m sharing a family-friendly twist on classic jello jigglers: Cranberry Ginger Finger Gelatin. This recipe yields ruby-red, slightly tart gelatin with a touch of ginger—an easy, vitamin C-rich snack that’s fun for kids and adults alike.
Cook’s Notes
- Sprinkle gelatin evenly over the cold juice to allow it to bloom uniformly. Dumping gelatin in one spot can cause clumping.
- I typically use Ocean Spray® 100% Cranberry Juice, but blends with other berries work well too. Feel free to vary the juice for different flavors.
- Two pan sizes are suggested: 8″ x 8″ and 9″ x 13″. The larger pan yields thinner squares; the smaller pan gives thicker, more substantial pieces. You can double the recipe to fill a larger pan if desired.
- “Sweeten to taste” gives flexibility. I prefer a light touch—about 1/4 cup honey—but kids often like more. White granulated sugar will preserve a jewel-toned color. Stir until the sweetener is completely dissolved.
- To remove the gelatin, either invert the pan after loosening edges with a flexible spatula or cut squares in the pan and use a spatula to lift them out. Both methods work well.
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Cranberry Ginger Finger Gelatin
Rebecca Lindamood
Ingredients
- 4 cups cold Ocean Spray® 100% Cranberry Juice or 100% Cranberry Juice Blend divided
- 4 pouches unflavoured gelatin powder
- 2 slices fresh ginger root 1/2-inch, peeled
- honey or granulated sugar
Instructions
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Sprinkle the unflavoured gelatin over 1 cup of the Ocean Spray® juice in a heatproof bowl. Let stand for 1 minute to bloom.
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In a saucepan, bring the remaining 3 cups of Ocean Spray® juice and the ginger slices to a boil. Remove and discard the ginger slices. Pour the hot juice into the bowl with the bloomed gelatin and whisk for about 5 minutes, until the gelatin is completely dissolved. Sweeten to taste with honey or sugar, whisking until dissolved. Pour the mixture into a 9″ x 13″ pan (or 8″ x 8″ for thicker squares) and cover with plastic wrap. Chill until fully set, about 3–5 hours depending on depth. Cut into 1″–1½” squares to serve.
Nutritional information is an estimate and provided as a courtesy. Calculate nutrition with the exact ingredients you use if desired.
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Thank you to Ocean Spray® for sponsoring this post. All opinions are my own.